Oregon State University is an international public research university that draws people from all 50 states and more than 100 countries. We go wherever the challenges are, push ourselves to the very edge of what’s known and keep going.

The word “hacker” often conjures up the stereotype of a nefarious genius typing away on a computer in a darkened room, stealing personal information — or worse. And 30 years ago, hacking was viewed as criminal activity. But the culture has changed. Now companies like Google, Facebook, and United Airlines offer rewards to people who discover and report vulnerabilities in their software.